betsycatedumas - DR Week 2

This week we hit the ground running with ICS (International Community School) and City Awakening arriving at 2am on Friday the 5th, before Cedarcrest had even left! With around 50 teens, 2 former interns, and leaders who have been coming for 18 years (yes, you read that right!), these groups from Florida made for a very different week.

Our 3 days of afternoon ministry were split between VBS in Primavera and sports in Duquesa, around the same area Cedarcrest delivered the benches the week prior. We interns are always divided between the two groups, and this time I was put in sports! On my previous trips to the DR I’d always been with VBS, so this was a first for me. JC (missionary) has been going to Duquesa every week for years and it’s so amazing to see his heart for this ministry and to see firsthand the impact he’s made on the kids’ lives. TIME likes to keep groups working with the same churches and areas year after year, so it was cool to see ICS reuniting with the kids they’d met summers prior. Each day we would play with the kids, run a seriously competitive basketball game (Americans vs Dominicans), and finally, people from the group would share their testimonies with the help of a translator.

As for construction, I’m so proud of the work the team accomplished this week! We did construction almost every morning leading up to chapel day. We divided into teams, each building a different part of the chapel (wall panels, window panels, trusses, gables, doors, etc.) I led a team in building window panels, and by the end of the week I’d grown pretty close with the people on my team. Wednesday night we loaded up the truck and on Thursday at 5:30am we drove up to Monte Plata for chapel day. There we assembled not one but TWO chapels in a day! The heat combined with an upset stomach made for a rough start to the day, but by the time we started on the roof I was feeling basically back to normal, praise Jesus! This was my first time ever working on the roof and it’s now my new favorite part of chapel day! Build day is always amazing because we get to see all our hard work come together so perfectly. And being able to present the keys to the pastor after the work is finished is such a special moment.

ICS was an overall great group and I loved getting to know the people, the girls especially. Though I definitely struggled with remembering all the names. On our fun day, we went to Saltos de Jima to swim at the waterfalls and celebrate all that had happened throughout the week. There were even 5 baptisms at the falls!! Definitely a highlight of the week. We were also able to tour the Basilica Cathedral de Santa María la Menor, a historical cathedral and one of the oldest in the New World. If you love history or architecture, look it up!

This week was quite the emotional rollercoaster, filled with a lot of highs and lows that affected everyone, the interns especially. One of the interns had to go home because of health issues, and even though we’ve only known each other for two weeks, it was the most difficult goodbye I’ve ever experienced. We were all sobbing at the airport. But we know it was for the best. We also faced heavy situations this week where the enemy tried to cause division, doubt, and distraction. But God’s purpose prevails, and I believe all this brought us closer to God and to each other. And the spiritual pushback makes me believe that God will do amazing things with the seeds that were planted during ministry. At the end of each week we have a time of open mic where the team gets to share stories of what impacted them during the trip. It was beautiful to see how deeply affected the teens and adults were and to see how God had been working in their hearts. That’s why I love doing ministry. In the midst of serving others, the Lord is also transforming us more and more into His image.

This next week we’ll be serving alongside my home church, Southbrook!! I’m SO insanely excited to see what God has in store for this week. My sister and many of my good friends will be coming, so I can’t wait to see them all again and help lead them through their mission trip. Yay!!!

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